September 4, 2020 – Click here to listen
Well I’m back in the Florida keys once again. It sure is nice down here with coconut trees gently swaying in the tropical breeze and beautiful turquoise waters on both sides of the single road going smack dab down the middle of this 100 mile long chain of islands connected by a series of bridges. I’m convinced that God spent extra time creating this mini-paradise.
I’m checking on the progress of the new house I’m trying to purchase and today we intend to tour the area by boat with a buddy of mine who lives down here. I briefly looked at the news and saw all of the strife, vitriol, and hatred going on throughout the land and shook my head. All of that seems very far away down here where the talk is mainly about how well the fish bite is going.
We are in the height of hurricane season down here but this week the weather is fine. It could change rapidly with storm after storm being spit out and carried to the ocean by the dry hot winds of Africa every 3-4 days. This year’s hurricane season will be over before my new home is completed and we’ve moved in, so I’m not too concerned from that angle.
It’s kind of weird to live down here as life certainly slows down. In fact there is a sign down here that reads, What’s your hurry, your already here? It generally is difficult to get anything done; for example it takes 2 years to build a home here that could be built on the mainland in 1 year. Workers down here find out the fish bite is on, or the lobsters are ready for harvest and they just don’t show up for work. Stores are similar and the old adage about a sign being on the door stating: “Gone fishing” can actually be observed and is not surprising to its would be patrons.
The almighty dollar is not the king of the Keys like it is in most places, rather it’s the way of life. It’s highly unlikely that anyone will riot, or loot, or burn the place down because it is an entirely different mindset. Few political signs are here save a whole bunch of Trump flags on boats.
The only real negative is the small number of churches down here. You can just about count them on one hand; however I have already begun the hunt for the one I will attend when I move back and will find a good one, or I’ll start one and then my little version of paradise on this planet will be complete.
I leave you this Friday with a suggestion that you follow the lead of the island life and take things at a little slower pace and don’t get so stressed out. Everything will work out just as the Lord intended. In just a couple of months the election will be over with hopefully Trump being reelected. The COVID panic will likely diminish with it, the riots will be quelled, and the economy which is already rebounding nicely will get its second wind and break even more records for prosperity.
And if, Lord forbid, Biden gets elected you could always move to the Keys, or the Idaho mountains, or wilderness of Alaska, or the deserts of Arizona, or anywhere where you can get away from the mostly urban strife that will accompany the socialist radical agenda.
There are plenty of communities around that have people who just want to get the most out of their limited span of life on earth and it doesn’t include marching, looting, violence, screaming obscenities, or spitting on police officers. They mostly reside in small towns where everyone knows everyone, and church is an important part of everyone who lives their life.
Proverbs 3:4
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!